Carnitine

3/16/14: This week on "The Food Guys:" Jon and Greg react to a Wall Street Journal article from April 2013, "New Health Worry in Red Meat," by Melinda Beck. (The article reports on the findings of a recent NIH study linking gut bacteria and carnitine to the formation of a metabolite called TMAO. This metabolite - which vegans do not manufacture - changes how cholesterol is metabolized and can promote thickening of the arteries.) They point out the tendency by science writers to villainize a single chemical such as carnitine, accusing them of oversimplifying the complex relationship between overall diet and health, and in turn fueling overblown popular reactions to supposed "diet culprits."